1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to designing and manufacturing aircraft. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method of implementing a layout of passenger arrangements for an interior of an aircraft using previously designed configurations.
2. Background
Designing an aircraft or other platform may include placing various structures in a design for the aircraft or other platform. For example, designing a commercial passenger aircraft or other aircraft may include placing various structures in a design for a passenger cabin or other area on the interior of the aircraft. The various structures that may be placed at various locations in the design for the interior of the aircraft may be referred to as monuments or commodities. For example, without limitation, such structures may include lavatories, galleys, closets, bar units, seats, walls, dividers, partitions, and other structures or combinations of structures. The design for the placement of commodities in a passenger cabin or other area on the interior of an aircraft may be referred to as a layout of passenger arrangements.
A designer may use a computer-implemented design tool to indicate the desired placement for various structures in a design for the interior of an aircraft or other platform. In order for an aircraft or other platform having such a design to be manufactured, the placement of each structure in the design for the interior of the aircraft or other platform is converted into a detailed engineering design. For example, such an engineering design may specify structural, mechanical, electrical, heating, air circulation, water supply, waste water drainage, or various other components, connections, or combinations of components and connections for implementing the desired placement of the structure in the design for the interior of the aircraft or other platform. The creation of such an engineering design may be relatively time-consuming. For example, each particular configuration of a galley in the design for the interior of an aircraft may require up to 1,000 hours or more of engineering time to design the flooring structure to support the galley and the electrical wiring, plumbing, and other components and connections for implementing the galley at the placement specified in the design.
Therefore, the design of a layout of passenger arrangements for the interior of an aircraft or other platform may present a number of technical problems that may require many hours of engineering time to solve. A detailed engineering design for each configuration of a commodity in the layout of passenger arrangements may need to be created. This detailed engineering design then may be used to implement the layout of passenger arrangements for the interior of the aircraft or other platform during manufacturing of the aircraft or other platform.
The time and cost of implementing a layout of passenger arrangements may be reduced by using previously designed configurations of commodities in layouts of passenger arrangements for aircraft that have already been manufactured. However, current systems and methods for designing aircraft and other platforms do not provide for effectively identify such previously designed configurations and incorporating such previously designed configurations into a layout of passenger arrangements for an aircraft.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a method and apparatus that take into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.